Trump Threatens Hamas: "Give Up Power or Face Annihilation"

United States President Donald Trump issued an unambiguous threat to the Hamas terror organization, declaring that if it insists on remaining in power in Gaza, it will face "utter destruction!" The statement came during an interview with CNN, in which a reporter asked the President about the consequences of Hamas refusing to relinquish its position of strength in the Gaza Strip.

The President's stark ultimatum comes as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested that a deal is imminent. Rubio stated in an interview that "90% of the details have been agreed upon. It remains only to deal with the logistic details. The negotiations cannot last weeks or even days."

Rubio emphasized the necessary preconditions for peace and statehood: "Until parties who are not interested in the destruction of Israel govern Gaza, and until there are no security threats from Gaza toward Israel, forget about establishing a state. There will be no peace." He added that the US is focused on creating the necessary conditions for a resolution, saying, "You cannot release hostages during fighting. We must create the conditions for their release." Rubio also asserted that "Hamas has agreed in principle to the day after [the war]."

Despite the Secretary of State's optimism, a planned high-level delegation to Cairo for the talks was cancelled. Contrary to earlier reports, White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Ron Dermer will not travel to Cairo tomorrow. Instead, working-level officials will handle the technical discussions, with the senior figures only planning to attend "if required."

An Israeli source suggested this indicates a need to coordinate fundamental logistical aspects, which is delaying the arrival of the top brass. The source noted that the senior officials will arrive to resolve any necessary issues, adding, "The bigwigs will arrive to solve the required things. When they are there, we will know that everything is closed, and it's a matter of a short time."

The negotiations themselves are expected to follow an indirect format. A source familiar with the details told Asharq that Egyptian and Qatari mediators will be located in the same building as the Israeli and Hamas delegations and will shuttle messages between the two teams.

The backdrop to the talks remains tense, particularly between the US and Israel. US site Axios reported that after Hamas returned a "yes, but" response to the peace proposal, President Trump called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss what he viewed as good news. The Prime Minister, however, was less enthusiastic. An American source familiar with the call's content said Netanyahu told Trump, "Bibi told Trump that there is no reason for celebration here, and that it means nothing." Trump reportedly responded angrily, saying, "I don't understand why you're always so negative, damn it. This is a victory. Take it."